King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 480 The military spirit is with me

After a lot of trouble with Nuomin, it was already afternoon. After packing up, they returned to the camp.

As before, Zhu Jinghong's camp was right next to the governor's office. It was easy for him to see Ning Huanxiang.

Of course, Ning Huanxiang was not at the office most of the time, but would go to the front lines to inspect weapons and equipment.

Forty to fifty thousand cavalry were deployed, forming a defense line hundreds of miles long in the Gobi desert. Opposite them, about fifty miles apart, there was also a defense line of the Junggar people.

In the middle zone between the two armies, a large number of scouts come and go every day, delivering the latest intelligence to their own generals.

In the end, all the intelligence will be summarized to Ning Huanxiang, allowing him to fully grasp the dynamics of the battlefield.

Due to the lack of progress in the recent war, the people below are resentful. Ning Huanxiang has learned about this situation, so he will convene a meeting the day after tomorrow.

The main purpose is to stabilize the morale of the military so that he can continue to implement his plan.

Even so, Ning Huanxiang actually realized that his conduct was indeed too cautious, so he would adjust the rhythm appropriately next.

When he learned that Zhu Jinghong was back, Ning Huanxiang immediately went to see him in order to win over Zhu Jinghong and let him suppress the turbulent military morale for him.

When Ning Huanxiang went to Zhu Jinghong's residence, the latter was already sitting in the tent and tore open the envelope sent from the capital.

The first thing he read was Baochai's letter. When he saw that it was an encrypted letter, Zhu Jinghong immediately cheered up.

The first letter was quickly "deciphered". When he learned that Gao Shuyan was causing trouble, Zhu Jinghong was so angry that he almost broke the table.

"This woman... is quite courageous, but I don't know if she can handle this!" Zhu Jinghong was slightly worried.

But in the end, he decided to believe Baochai, after all, the latter never let him down.

However, the letter was not finished yet, because Baochai added another part to it, which was about Jia Baoyu's beating.

This matter has been dealt with. In the end, with the joint efforts of both parties, the heat of the matter was suppressed. In the later period, Prince Rui's Mansion had no chance to stir up trouble.

But it was precisely because of this move that King Rui and his wife made up their minds to kick Baochai away as a stumbling block. Zhu Jinghong and his wife knew nothing about this.

"Your Majesty, Governor Ning is outside asking for an audience!"

Zhu Jinghong did not delay and went outside to welcome Ning Huanxiang in person.

After the two of them took their seats, Ning Huanxiang didn't say much nonsense. After a brief greeting, he revealed his purpose.

After listening, Zhu Jinghong promised to explain for him at the military meeting.

Of course, Zhu Jinghong reiterated his idea, but was still declined by Ning Huanxiang.

Of course, the latter was hesitant at this time, which was a good thing for Zhu Jinghong.

If the war continues to be difficult to advance, he is sure to persuade Ning Huanxiang to change his strategy.

If you want to ask why he is confident, it is because many things must be reversed. The more severely the opinions of the generals are suppressed in the early stage, the stronger the backlash will be later.

By that time, Ning Huanxiang was on the opposite side of everyone, and it would not work unless he changed his original position.

Of course, Zhu Jinghong still had a lot to do between the time Ning Huanxiang changed his mind and the time he adopted Zhu Jinghong's opinion.

After receiving Zhu Jinghong's support, Ning Huanxiang left with peace of mind. He wanted to go back and continue to analyze the direction of the war.

Outside the camp, Sun Shaozu's eyes flashed coldly as he watched Lao Ning walk away. He had already made all his plans.

"It's time to take action..." Sun Shaozu murmured softly.

Two days later, the summoned generals arrived at the governor's office and were all waiting in the military tent.

All those present today are cavalry generals. In addition to the generals of the Beijing camp, there are also the generals of the Qinghai Xingdu Division, as well as the transferred cavalry leaders of various ministries and alliances.

Ning Huanxiang's awareness is very good. Everyone is indeed resentful at the moment, which is very different from the state during the last discussion.

The most angry among them were the Jurchen tribes who had come all the way to gain benefits, but they had already lost thousands of warriors.

Everyone waited for nearly a moment before Zhu Jinghong and Ning Huanxiang appeared outside the camp with the two supervisors.

Everyone in the tent stood up and waited for Zhu Jinghong and others to enter.

After some apology, Ning Huanxiang was pushed in first by Zhu Jinghong, and then he followed him in, followed by the deputy capital imperial envoy Liang Qian and the imperial supervisor Zhangyin.

What embarrassed Ning Huanxiang was that no one seemed to see him when he passed by, which was in sharp contrast to the warm greetings to Zhu Jinghong that followed.

Even Huang Qing, the eunuch who oversees the army, was greeted by many people, which shows how unpopular he is as the governor.

Thinking of this, Ning Huanxiang felt even more flustered, fearing that the emperor would also lose confidence in him after the news spread back to the capital.

But then he felt relieved. Being recalled by the emperor was not a bad thing. At least he could sleep peacefully.

Abandoning these thoughts, Ning Huanxiang turned around and greeted Zhu Jinghong: "Thirteenth Master, please take a seat!"

"I'm just a spectator. It's up to you to take a seat... Don't refuse too much!"

While talking, Zhu Jinghong went to the left side of the main seat and sat down. Ning Huanxiang also sat in the middle with a smile, and Liang Qian sat on the right side.

As for the eunuch Huang Qing, he stood behind Zhu Jinghong like last time.

"Everyone, in the recent battle with Junggar, although the two sides have won and lost, in general, our army has been advancing smoothly and has pushed Junggar hundreds of miles behind..." Ning Huanxiang began to speak.

Of course what he said was true, but the so-called victory of advancing hundreds of miles was essentially useless. No matter how much he advanced into the desert and Gobi, it was of little use. On the contrary, it also stretched the army's supply line.

Ning Huanxiang continued to say that he wanted to unify the will of the generals again and implement his adjusted combat strategy.

However, at this time, most people had lost confidence in him, so Ning Huanxiang's passionate speech did not receive a response from everyone present.

Shi Chong, the most radical one, tilted his head directly towards his boss and commented with a contemptuous expression: "This nonsense makes no sense!"

Shi Chong's voice was not loud, but it was heard by several generals who were close to him, and everyone had smiles on their faces.

This situation was caught by Ning Huanxiang, so he immediately stopped speaking, and then asked with a stern face: "General Shi Shen, what are you talking about?"

Being called out by Ning Huanxiang, Shi Chong was not flustered at all, and immediately listened to his answer: "I said... Your Majesty the Governor is pleased!"

When he said this, several people nearby smiled even more, and some almost couldn't hold back their laughter.

At this time, Zhu Jinghong said: "Governor Ning is talking from above, and you are talking from below... This is not good!"

Hearing this, Shi Chong stood up directly and replied with great respect: "The Thirteenth Master's teachings should be remembered carefully!"

As a result, Ning Huanxiang lost even more face, and now his face showed a cold light.

No matter how good Shi Chong was born, Ning Huanxiang was not really afraid of him.

He was the governor who had obeyed the decree, and he had the right to kill him first and report later. If he had not taken the face of the Shi family into consideration, he would have ordered him to be executed if he had rebelled against such a small general.

At this time, he had made up his mind to find an opportunity to deal with Shi Chong, otherwise it would be more difficult for him to command the army.

Just listen to Zhu Jinghong continue to say: "Why don't you apologize to Governor Ning quickly!"

Under Zhu Jinghong's intimidation, Shi Chong did not dare to make a mistake at all, so he turned to Ning Huanxiang and saluted respectfully: "Your Majesty, Governor, I have humbled myself and acted recklessly. Please punish me!"

Although he was very dissatisfied with Shi Chong, Ning Huanxiang also knew the priorities and understood that now was not the time to deal with him.

So he said magnanimously: "That's all, I won't do it again!"

What I mean is that if there is a next time, don't blame military law for being ruthless. With Zhu Jinghong on his side, the rest of the discussion went very smoothly.

However, this could not be changed. The generals lost confidence in Ning Huanxiang, so after hearing his adjusted strategy, the scene was deathly silent.

"Do you all understand?" Ning Huanxiang asked coldly.

As the emperor's personal governor, when he asked such a serious question, everyone present did not dare not respond.

"I understand!"

"In this case, follow it when you go down. The five-day military orders will be sent to all ministries one after another. You should do your best to complete the military orders!"

"Yes!" everyone replied.

Objectively speaking, Ning Huanxiang's method of drawing the enemy's troops with the intention of encircling and annihilating them is feasible, which Zhu Jinghong agrees with.

However, the problem is that everyone lacks confidence in Ning Huanxiang, which may lead to the planned abortion, and Ning Huanxiang himself is well aware of this.

Therefore, he has made up his mind to go to the front lines more often to supervise battles and let his subordinate ministries strictly implement military orders.

After some more verbosity, Ning Huanxiang finally announced the end of the discussion and asked everyone to have lunch before going back.

After leaving the Governor's Office, Zhu Jinghong's place became lively again. Several commanders and generals of the Beijing Cavalry came to Zhu Jinghong's place.

There is no doubt that these people are all descendants of nobles, and similar to Hou Jing and others, they followed the path of the Dragon Guards, so Zhu Jinghong has known them for a long time.

At this time, Zhu Jinghong was shooting arrows, and Sun Shaozu led the group behind him.

Although Shi Chong was not the highest official, he had an extraordinary background, so he was at the front.

Before Shi Chong could speak, Zhu Jinghong said: "Lunch is at the Governor's Office, why did you come to me?"

With his back to everyone, Zhu Jinghong loosened his bowstring, and the arrow accurately shot through the wooden stake a hundred steps away.

Although they knew he was powerful, seeing this scene still surprised everyone.

I only heard Shi Chonggong answer: "Thirteenth Master, I just didn't abide by the rules, so I came here to apologize!"

Turning around, Zhu Jinghong said calmly: "It doesn't matter if you don't follow the rules or if you commit a crime next time. Governor Ning said you won't do it next time. You'd better be more honest!"

"I understand!" Shi Chong replied.

After he answered, Zhenwei Central Guard Commander Fan Changchun smoothed things over and said: "Thirteenth Master, General Shi Shen is a straight man. He can't hold back his anger. Don't be as knowledgeable as him!"

"Resentment? What grievance does he have?" Zhu Jinghong asked pretendingly, in order to elicit what everyone wanted to say.

"Thirteenth Master, I have been sent to the northwest on the emperor's order to quell the rebellion and promote the king's transformation!"

"Now the war is making no progress, all the troops are damaged, and it is normal to feel resentful..."

These words were too straightforward. Fan Changchun just wanted Zhu Jinghong to understand and persuade him to give advice to Ning Huanxiang.

Walking closer to the crowd, Zhu Jinghong said in a deep voice: "Don't talk nonsense. The current situation...how can it be said that there is no progress? At least many soldiers and horses of Junggar have been destroyed!"

"Thirteenth Master, it's almost August now. In two months, the weather will get colder and we won't be able to fight this battle!"

"But Governor Yining's method, let alone two months... I'm afraid it will be difficult to defeat the main force of Junggar even in two months!" Fan Changchun looked worried.

If it is postponed until next year, the court will spend a lot more money and food.

The consumption of money and food does not matter, since they are not responsible for it anyway. The key problem is that more soldiers will be lost, which will lower the emperor's evaluation of them and bring negative effects to their resumes.

And once the loss reaches 30%, they will be rotated back. This trip to the northwest will be a big loss.

Shi Chong then spoke: "Thirteenth Master, I have discussed the strategy you proposed earlier with my brothers in detail, and I think it is more feasible!"

These words were beyond Zhu Jinghong's expectations and made him understand that the situation was better than he expected. Even the generals of the cavalry began to agree.

Sun Shaozu also realized this, which made him feel at peace and became more courageous.

Starting from following Zhu Jinghong, Sun Shaozu fully demonstrated his talents and was recognized by Zhu Jinghong.

Therefore, he is confident that once Zhu Jinghong takes control of the northwest, he will have the opportunity to be entrusted with important tasks.

He longed for a high position, so how could he let go of such an opportunity.

"Whether it's feasible or not, you have to listen to Governor Ning's orders now. All you have to do is follow the orders. You should never have other ideas..."

Zhu Jinghong never said anything bad about Ning Huanxiang in any public place, and was only on guard against people who might have ulterior motives around him.

Now, people like Gao Shuyan are staring at him in both the government and the public, so Zhu Jinghong has to be extra careful.

He had already anticipated that Ning Huanxiang's plan was very likely to go bankrupt. He just had to wait for this outcome to happen and then recommend his own strategy.

At that moment, Ning Huanxiang lost all his majesty, and with the support of a group of generals, he could not agree with Zhu Jinghong's plan.

From the beginning to the end, Zhu Jinghong never thought that he would directly control the military, because these superficial things were unnecessary.

Little did he know that Sun Shaozu was already taking the initiative to plan for him, leaving him to passively stand at the front desk.

After staying at Zhu Jinghong's place for a while, Shi Chong and others were quite disappointed and left because they could not persuade Zhu Jinghong to move.

Watching everyone leave, Zhu Jinghong said calmly: "Since the military order has been issued, it should be carried out with all its strength. I don't know what the use of talking nonsense is!"

"Thirteenth Master, I think what they said is reasonable. Governor Ning is too cautious!"

"There is no risk in a war, as long as Shen can afford the loss!"

"In cavalry warfare, the most important thing is to be quick and unexpected. In the battle of Hulukou, the enemy's left wing suddenly collapsed. Qinghai Xingdu Division should have attacked with all its strength, but..."

Seeing that Sun Shaozu was about to accuse Ning Huanxiang, Zhu Jinghong immediately replied: "Okay, the matter is over, don't say these words again!"

"Yes!" Sun Shaozu shut up at the right time.

As an outsider, he was full of grievances, so Sun Shaozu could foresee how dissatisfied the generals participating in the war would be.

I'm afraid His Majesty also didn't expect that Governor Ning would fight like this... Sun Shaozu thought to himself.

Seeing that Zhu Jinghong was about to shoot an arrow again, Sun Shaozu immediately stepped forward to serve him. While handing over the arrow, he said, "Thirteenth Master, I have a request!"

Taking the arrow and aiming forward, Zhu Jinghong said slowly: "Speak!"

"In this battle, I want to go see the northern front!"

The so-called northern front is responsible for the various Mongolian tribes and alliances, plus some Jurchen cavalry.

Zhu Jinghong was asked not to be on the front line, so he basically stayed with the governor's office, and Sun Shaozu, who was accompanying him, also stayed in the rear.

"Sighing, marching and fighting. Although I talked a lot, I haven't been to the front line for a long time... It is inevitable that what I said is inconsistent with the facts, so I want to go to the front line to see more!"

Sun Shaozu's reasons were very good, and Zhu Jinghong couldn't think of much, so he replied: "Then you go, remember to bring more guards!"

"Thank you Thirteenth Master!" Sun Shaozu saluted solemnly.

(End of this chapter)